AerialphototakenonAug.16,2021showstheSmederevoSteelworks,Serbia.(HBISSerbia/HandoutviaXinhua)BELGRADE/BEIJING,May6(Xinhua)--SituatedbythescenicDanubeRiver,theSmederevoSteelworkshadlongbeenhailedastheprideofSerbiabeforeitslidtobankruptcymorethantwodecadesago.Thankstothedeepeningofthehigh-qualityBeltandRoadcooperationbetweenChinaandSerbia,thecentury-oldfactorymadearemarkablecomebackin2016whenitsChinesepartnerarrived.Injustacoupleofmonths,thesteelmillstartedturningaprofit.Ithasnowbecomeoneoftheworld'slargestironandsteelmakersandintegratedserviceprovidersmeasuredbyproductioncapacity.Therebirthofthesteelmillstandsasakeyepitomeofthebroaderpracticalcooperationbetweenthetwocountries.AsChinesePresidentXiJinpingpayshissecondstatevisittotheEuropeancountryinthecomingdays,expectationsarerunninghighthattheironcladfriendshipbetweenthetwonationswillbefurtherenrichedandstrengthened.ManybigChineseinvestmentprojectsherewerebroughtaboutbyPresidentXi,formerSerbianPresidentTomislavNikolicsaid."HeisasincerefriendofSerbia."ANICONREBORNDuringhisfirststatevisittoSerbiain2016,XiofferedastronghelpinghandtotheSmederevoSteelworks,usheringinawaveofChinesesupport.ChinesePresidentXiJinping(C),accompaniedbythenSerbianPresidentTomislavNikolicandthenSerbianPrimeMinisterAleksandarVucic,talkswithworkersatthedininghallofasteelmillinSmederevo,Serbia,June19,2016.(Xinhua/MaZhancheng)SerbianPresidentAleksandarVucicclearlyremembershowhe,thenasprimeminister,approachedXiduringthelatter'svisitwiththeideaofsavingthestrugglingcompany.XiassuredhimwithafamousChinesesayingthat"promisesmustbekept,andactionsmustberesultful.""Whatwepledgetodo,suchasintroducingcutting-edgetechnology,ensuringlocalemployment,andbenefitingthewidercommunity,mustbeachievedwithoutfail,"Xitoldtheworkerswhenvisitingthefactory.VladanMihailovic,executivedirectorforproductionatthesteelworks,describedXi'svisitasaturningpoint.WithXi'ssupport,ChinaofferedsustainedassistancetoSerbiatorevivethefactory."Thepresident'scommitments,especiallyregardingthemodernizationofproductionfacilities,havebecomeareality,"saidMihailovic.About60kmawaytothenorthwestofthesteelworksnestlestheBelgradeCentrerailwaystation,thestartingpointofanotherBeltandRoadInitiative(BRI)cooperationprojectXicaresabout--theBelgrade-NoviSadhigh-speedrailway.AsasegmentoftheSerbia-Hungaryrailway,itbeganoperationsinMarch2022andhassincebeenshuttlingpassengersbetweenSerbia'stwolargestcitiesatspeedsofupto200kmperhour.Vucicdubbedit"agiftforfuturegenerations."PassengerstakeaselfieatNoviSadstationinSerbia,May6,2023.The80-km-long,Chinese-builtBelgrade-NoviSadhigh-speedrailwayhasbeencarryingpassengersatspeedsofupto200kmperhoursinceMarch2022.(Xinhua/RenPengfei)TheflourishingcooperationbetweenBeijingandBelgradewithintheframeworkoftheBRIepitomizesthegrowingsynergybetweendevelopmentstrategiesofthetwocountries,whichhassignificantlybolsteredbilateraleconomicandtraderelations.AccordingtoChinesecustomsstatistics,thetotaltradevolumebetweenChinaandSerbiain2023reached4.35billionU.S.dollars,anincreaseof23.7percentcomparedtothepreviousyear.InOctoberlastyear,witnessedbyXiandVucic,ChinaandSerbiasignedafreetradeagreementinBeijing,thefirstoneinkedbetweenChinaandaCentralandEasternEuropeancountry.Afterthedealtakeseffect,morethan60percentoftaxableitemswillbecometariff-freeimmediately,andthefinalimportvolumeproportionofbothsideswithzero-tariffitemswillreachabout95percent."ChinaisoneofthemostimportantpartnersforSerbia'seconomicdevelopment,"saidNenadStekic,aresearchfellowwiththeInstituteofInternationalPoliticsandEconomics,aSerbianthinktank."Sinceweelevatedourrelationshiptoacomprehensivestrategicpartnershipin2016,therelationshiphasbeenreallygoingonanupwardtrajectoryacrosstheboard,"headded.AFRIENDINNEEDBoththesteelmillandtheironrailbearwitnesstothespecialrapportbetweenthetwonations,whichhasbeenforgedwithbloodandlives.Inthefaceofdifficultiesandchallenges,theChineseandSerbianpeoplehavealwayssupportedeachotherthroughthickandthin.WhentheCOVID-19pandemicwreakedhavocacrosstheworld,ChinaextendedtimelyhelptoSerbia.ProvidingSerbiawithprotectiveequipments,medicalinstrumentsandvaccines,Chinaalsodispatchedateamofmedicalprofessionalstohelpitbettercontainthepandemic.ItwasalreadylatenighthourswhenChinesemedicalteamlandedatBelgrade'sNikolaTeslaAirport.Vucicheadedagroupofseniorofficialstogreettheexperts.Whilehandshakingwasnotadvisableduringtheoutbreak,theSerbianleaderchosetoelbow-bumpwitheverymemberoftheChineseteam.HealsokissedaChinesenationalflaginashowofgratitudeforChina'stimelysupport.SerbianPresidentAleksandarVucic(L)greetsmembersoftheChinesemedicalteamviaelbowcontactinBelgrade,Serbia,March21,2020.(Xinhua/ShiZhongyu)TheChinesepeople"haveprovenasfriendsinthemostdifficulttimeswhenwefightforlivesofSerbianpeople,"Vucicsaid.Inthefollowingmonth,SerbiaawardeditsmostprestigiousmilitaryawardstotheChinesemedicalteammembers,recognizingtheirinvaluablecontributiontothecountry'sbattleagainstthepandemic.WhenChinawasfacingdifficulties,Serbiaalsorushedtohelp.AfteramassiveearthquakeflattenedChina'sWenchuancountyin2008,SerbiaofferedspeedyassistancetoChinaandprovidedalargeamountofreliefsuppliestothepeopleintheaffectedareas."Afriendinneedisafriendindeed.That'sagreatsentence,"VucictoldXinhua.ABONDIRONCLAD"Anironcladfriend"ishowXidescribesSerbiainChina'sforeignrelations.InChinesediplomaticdiscourse,thetermconveysaspecialmeaning.SerbiaisproudofitsironcladfriendshipwithChina,andChinahasalwaystreatedSerbiaasequal,VucictoldXiduringhisvisittoChinatoattendthethirdBeltandRoadForumforInternationalCooperationinOctoberlastyear.ChinesePresidentXiJinpingmeetswithSerbianPresidentAleksandarVucicattheGreatHallofthePeopleinBeijing,capitalofChina,Oct.17,2023.AleksandarVucicisinBeijingtoattendthethirdBeltandRoadForumforInternationalCooperation.(Xinhua/YanYan)Anironcladfriendship,commentedWangYiwei,directoroftheInstituteofInternationalAffairsatRenminUniversityofChina,impliescloserelations,closecommunicationandclosecooperationonthebasisoftruerespectforeachother'scoreinterests.AllthesefeaturesapplytotheChina-Serbiarelationship.TakingastrollthroughBelgrade'sKalemegdanPark,asymbolofSerbia'sresilience,heritageandnaturalbeauty,duringhis2016visit,Xiexpressedhisprofoundrespectforthecountryanditspeople."TheSerbianpeople,withanindomitablespirit,haverevivedtimeandagaininhistorylikethephoenixnirvana,whichtheChinesepeopleadmireverymuch,"saidtheChinesepresident,whomaintainsthatallcountries,regardlessofsize,areequalmembersoftheinternationalcommunityandshouldcoexistpeacefullyandlearnfromeachother.GuidedbyXi'sphilosophy,ChinafirmlysupportsSerbiaonissuesconcerningitscoreinterestsandmajorconcerns,makingtheirironcladfriendshipagoodexampleofequaltreatmentandmutualbenefitbetweencountriesofdifferentsizes.Thebondbetweenthetwocountriesisreinforcednotonlythroughdiplomacybutalsothroughmutualrespectandunderstanding,emphasizedAleksandarVulin,aformerSerbianministerofdefenseandinternalaffairs."SerbiaholdsprofoundrespectforthePeople'sRepublicofChina,notmerelyduetoitssize,butowingtotheexemplaryleadershipitembodies,"headded."Chinaknowshowtotalkandlisten.Chinaisapartner,notacommander.Chinadoesnotdictate,Chinaadvises."byXinhuawritersTianDongdong,DengYushanXinhuareportersLiuChang,ZhengKaijun,SuLiang,ZhangYuan,LiuXiulinginBeijing,andShiZhongyuinBelgradealsocontributedtothisstoryEditor:DisclaimerTheviewsandopinionsexpressedinthisarticlearethoseoftheauthor's,GMW.cnmakesnorepresentationsastoaccuracy,suitability,orvalidityofanyinformationonthissiteandwillnotbeliableforanyerrors,omissions,ordelaysinthisinformation.